Ramsbottom: £70,000 investment in local gas network to future-proof supply to thousands of homes

in your area

  • Work starts Monday (1st June) to replace an underground pipe that’s now 90 years old
  • This is essential work, upgrading a main that helps heat thousands of local homes
  • Details of temporary traffic arrangements; designed to minimise disruption

Work gets under way on Monday (1 June) to upgrade an old underground gas main that has helped to heat thousands of homes in the Ramsbottom area for 90 years.
 
Installed in 1930, the cast iron pipe has reached the end of its safe operational life and 226 metres of it will be replaced without any need to disrupt the local gas supply or enter homes.
 
Engineers working on behalf of gas network Cadent will dig pits in the road and then insert a tough new plastic pipe into the old one. They will then thoroughly test and commission it.
 
This is an investment of around £70,000 in the town’s gas network. It will ensure all homes that use gas for central heating and hot water – that’s more than 80 per cent of homes in the Ramsbottom area – can continue to get it safely and reliably for many years to come.
 
As the main runs directly under Ramsbottom Lane, and the work area is therefore in the carriageway, for everyone’s safety there needs to be some changes to traffic flow.
 
Phase 1: from 1 June, for about two weeks
  • Traffic using the junction of Ramsbottom Lane, Carr Street, Bridge Street and Bolton Street will be controlled by temporary traffic lights.
  • There will be new pedestrian crossings for each of those roads.
  • Traffic can still travel in both directions of Ramsbottom Lane, as one lane will be kept open for vehicles. Traffic flow will be controlled by lights.
  • There will be no access to or from Market Place, at its junction with Ramsbottom Lane.
 
Phase 2: starts immediately after phase 1 is complete, for around one-and-a-half weeks
  • The team will move further up Ramsbottom Lane.
  • The traffic measures used in phase 1 will be removed and replaced with three-way traffic control (lights) for vehicles using Ramsbottom Lane and Heatherside Road.
 
All businesses that are currently open will be able to operate as usual throughout.
 
Craig Horrocks, who heads Cadent’s gas mains replacement in the North West, said: “This is essential work, part of a UK-wide programme to upgrade gas mains that have now reached the end of their operational lives. We need to install the new main to keep gas flowing safely and reliably, so that local homes can use it for central heating, hot water and for cooking.
 
“We’ve worked closely with Bury Council on the best time to do this, so that the unavoidable disruption is kept to a minimum. This is a busy road, but a little less so given the current situation with Covid-19. We’ve agreed with the council that this is a good time to go in – particularly as we don’t need to enter any homes to do this and we can keep gas flowing at all times.”
 
Letters are being sent to all properties in the immediate area of the work, social media posts will appear in local feeds and road signs will be in place both in advance and during the work.
 
If any customers in Ramsbottom have queries about this work, contact the customer team on 0800 121 4444.
 
Cadent manages 80,000 miles of underground gas mains, including around 21,000 in North West England. Placed end to end, that North West amount would stretch from Ramsbottom to Sydney, Australia, and back again. The firm is responsible for distributing gas to 2.7 million properties in the North West and also provides the region’s 24/7, 365-day, gas emergency service.
 
The UK Government has classed work undertaken by energy networks like Cadent as essential during the Covid-19 outbreak, as they are ensuring a safe and reliable gas supply. Engineers work to the latest government guidance and are taking extra safety precautions as required.
 
Did you know? Ramsbottom has had a public gas supply since the 1850s. Gas was originally used for street lighting and later – as now – for central heating and hot water.
This work was originally planned for May but as a result of unrelated emergency investigation work needing to take place at this time, it was rescheduled to minimise disruption. While ongoing emergency work is still taking place on Bolton Road West, it has been thought advantageous to proceed with the proposed gas mains replacement on Ramsbottom Lane during this quieter period and continue to minimise disruption.

Cadent

Cadent is the UK’s largest gas distribution network with a 200-year legacy.  We are in a unique position to build on strong foundations whilst encouraging the curiosity to think differently and the courage to embrace change.  Day to day we continue to operate, maintain and innovate the UK’s largest gas network, transporting gas safely and protecting people in an emergency.   Our skilled engineers and specialists remain committed to the communities we serve, working day and night to ensure gas reaches 11 million homes from Cumbria to North London and the Welsh Borders to East Anglia, to keep your energy flowing. 

Future of Gas: Here at Cadent we support the Government’s plans to reach Net Zero by 2050. That means we’re backing the introduction of hydrogen as a low carbon alternative to natural gas for the future. We know people love the controllability of gas and, with our network already in place, it makes sense to switch to the lower carbon alternative offered by hydrogen, which we believe can keep homes and businesses warm for generations to come.

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Media contacts

Kevin Hegarty

kevin.hegarty@cadentgas.com

07970 694897